3 days ago
Live Fire Cooking With Spanish and Portuguese Influences Dominate the Menu at Flamant
Skip to main content Current eater city: Dallas
It's fair to wonder how the heck the team who runs Rye — a highly experimental restaurant in Dallas known for its take on the Icelandic hot dog, a tasting menu that features kangaroo tartare, and a Michelin Award for it's Outstanding Cocktail Program — ended up opening a restaurant outside a Hilton Hotel in Plano, a mere stone's throw away from the IKEA in Frisco. It turns out that Boardwalk at Granite Park, a waterfront dining destination, approached Rye's owners to put a restaurant into one of their office buildings, co-owner Tanner Agar tells Eater Dallas. But rather than recreate Rye, Agar and chef-owner Taylor Rause looked to Spain and Portugal for influences for their new restaurant Flamant, which opened on Tuesday, June 10.
Agar's personal connection to the country, having worked at Michelin-starred Simply Fosh in Spain in 2013, made him passionate about the idea. Since Rye serves small plates, the duo chose not to open a tapas spot, Agar says, and instead worked on an idea that would showcase their flair for the unexpected and utilize open-flame cooking. 'When we opened Rye years ago, originally in McKinney, one of the principles we pitched to investors was that we think a lot of people move to the suburbs because they want to have a free-standing house and be in a good school district,' Agar says. 'However, they're coming from Dallas, New York, L.A., and Chicago. They're looking around saying, 'I'm tired of all these restaurant chains that don't think I'm smart or sophisticated. I wish there was something for me.''
At Flamant, diners can find dishes like the highly Instagrammable scallop crudo, served in a dressing that incorporates spirulina to give it a blue hue. The scallops, along with herbs and tepin chiles from Portugal, look like they're swimming in an ocean. There is Faux Gras served in a hinge-topped glass jar, made from cashews, preserved lemons, and brandy, accompanied by lacto-fermented blackberry jam to be spread on wood-fired bread. It tastes a bit like foie gras and a bit like a decadent cashew butter and jelly sandwich. The muhammara, a spread of red pepper and walnuts combined with olive oil and salt, is inspired by Rause's days cooking Lebanese food at Sitti in Raleigh, North Carolina. In the end, the menu does have a small plate selection, ideal for diners who want to order a leisurely meal that might include tinned fish, caviar service, or a charcuterie board focused on Spanish, Italian, and French meats.
For those who want to have three or four courses, however, there are soups and salads, and, for the first time any any of Agar and Rause's restaurants, a burger and a chicken sandwich. 'A friend of mine said, 'Man, you spent seven years working on this burger recipe, huh? I hope it's good,' Agar jokes. In reality, the burger is designed to cater to nearby office workers who want to stop in for a quick lunch. There are also large entrées, such as the ragu bianco, which omits the tomatoes, allowing the pork, celery, carrots, and various herbs to come together in a powerful, herbaceous sauce. All of the protein-based entrees, which include chicken thighs with roasted vegetables, mussels and chorizo, ocean trout with farro and local greens, and a wagyu ribeye with a smoked sugar rub and beurre rouge, are cooked over the open fire grill in the kitchen. 'We talked for months about how people have to pass multiple other restaurants to get to us here, and how we could create a place that feels exciting and special,' Agar says. 'Live fire cooking is something you could technically do at your house, but you're probably not going to spend an hour arranging the coals or wood to do it right.'
Equally exciting is the cocktail menu. Diners should try one of the simplest drinks on the menu to better understand Portuguese culture: The Porto Tonico, made with white port and tonic water. It is the Aperol spritz or ranch water of the country — available everywhere you go, thanks to its light ingredient list, and a default drink that is light and refreshing with a low ABV. Or taste the darker side of summer with a glass of Black Sangria, made with black currant, pomegranate, balsamic, Lambrusco, and Flamant brandy. 'It is a private brandy we brewed in Denison, using Texas grapes that have been distilled by Ironroot Republic and blended with cognac and armagnac to get the flavor profile we are going for.' Sadly, the vines used for the brandy have been destroyed, says Agar, so this is an extremely limited edition product.
Flamant is adding THC drinks to its menu, while it is still legal in the state, which is another first for Agar and Rause. For their first foray into selling THC-infused drinks, they're sticking to the cans from Dallas-based Cali Sober, although Agar says they may toy with making their own THC-infused drinks if these products don't become prohibited to sell in Texas. 'Friends of mine who sell these THC drinks at their restaurants said they do really well for them, and they don't have any problems with the guests… I've been in this business for a long time, and I never have rowdy, violent guests who've been smoking weed. Only the ones who've been drinking too much.'
Flamant has a brunch menu to explore with one notable difference from most brunch services in DFW: It's $40 per person for endless plates. A few dishes from the lunch and dinner menus are available, alongside a croquette scramble, croissant Benedict, cannoli French toast, patatas bravas with avocados, and more. The purpose, Agar says, is to try as many things as possible, share them, and be in community while eating.
Flamant is open now at 5880 State Hwy 121, Suite 103-B in Plano at the Restaurants at Granite Park. See More: Dallas Restaurant Openings
